Machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. K. PROGTOR.

GARDING MACHINE.

ANo. 407,743. Patented July 23, 1889.`

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J. K. PROGTOP..

GARDING MACHINE.

- No. 407,743. Patented July 23, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

.IOSIAH K. PROCTOR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T() THE PHILADELPHIA TEXTILE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CARDlNG-IVIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,743, dated July 23, 1889.

.Application filed August l, 1887. Serial No. 245,781. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom it may concern:

l Be it known that I, JosIAH K. PRocToR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Carding-Machines,

of which the following is a speciiication.

The object of my invention is to so construct a carding or like machine as to prevent the feeding into the machine of bunches,

1o snarls, clots, lumps, dto., or the formation of such bunches, dac., in the rear of the feedrolls. This object I attain in the manner which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal section of sufficient of a carding or like machine to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, the retainer and other rolls being, how- 2o ever, for convenience, shown without teeth. Fig. 3 is a side view looking in the direction of the arrow l, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4. is a side view looking in the direction of the arrow 2, Fig. 2.

As is well known to those skilled in the art of carding, the office of the rolls whereby the fiber is fed to the licker-in or first taker of the carding-machine is to hold the material and slowly and evenly deliver it to said 3o licker-in or equivalent roll of the machine, vand the perfection of the carding operation is largely due to the proper performance of this duty by the feed-rolls. In practice, however, it is found that with many kinds of material the feed-rolls do not properly perform the work for which they are intended. For instance, when the material contains small and compact masses of fiber-such as are variously called bunches, snarls,

4o clots, lumps, dre-such masses pass through the feed-rolls and are drawn into the machine without being properly combed, while in other classes of material naturally free from such masses, but having long fibers clinging together in disordered condition, as is usual in uncarded material, such fibres, on passing the feed-rolls and being caught by the licker-in or carding-cylinder are drawn rapidly forward between the feed-rolls, with 5o the result that neighboring fibers which had not yet reached the feed-rolls, but which adhere to or touch the rapidly-moving fibers, are drawn prematurely up to the feed-rolls, oft-en in quantities sufficient to form clots of considerable size, which pass into the machine, as previously described, and produce the same bad result. In order to overcome these objections, I provide what I term a retainer-roll,77 which acts upon the fibers before the latter reach the feed-rolls, this retainer- 6o roll being toothed and so operated that it serves to comb out or straighten the clots, bunches, snarls, or other masses of ber, and

to prevent the drawing of loose iibres up to the feed-rolls by contact with long strands drawn rapidly between said rolls, as before described.

In the drawings, A represents part of the frame of a carding or like machine; B, part of the licker-in or first taker of the machine; 7o D D, the usual feed-rolls, and D a clearerroll, all of these parts being located and supported in the manner common in this class of machinery. Y

`On the frame A is supported the frame E, which has bearings for the rolls F F of the feed-apron G, the latter consisting in the present instance of belts or bands carrying transverse slats, although any desired construction of feed apron or table may be used in 8o carrying out myinvention.

Immediately behind the feed rolls and above the feed-apron I place what I term the retainer-roll H, which is provided with hooked teeth, preferably so arranged that they proj ect rearwardly when acting upon the fiber upon the feed-apron, as shown in Fig. l, the roll being constructed and the teeth applied thereto in any desired manner. As shown in the present instance, the roll is made of segments 9o and covered with clothing, which may be similar to that of an ordinary carding-machine. This retainer-roll has a surface speed preferably somewhat less than that of the feedrolls, so that it serves to catch any compact masses of ber that may be carried forward on the feed-apron and prevents such masses from passing directly to the feed-rolls, the effect of the toothed retainer-roll being to loosen, comb, or straighten these fibers to a roo certain extent before they reach the feedrolls, and to catch and retain any loose fibers that may be adhering to long strands drawn rapidly through the feed-rolls by the action of the rapidly-moving licher-in or cylinder of the machine.

The gearing for driving the various parts may be modified in many ways without departing from the essential feature of my invention; but in Figs. 2, 3, and a I have shown one form of gearing which may be used. In this ease a stud a, projecting from the frame of the machine, carries a sleeve, on which are a pulley l) and a spur-pinion d, the pulley receiving a belt e, which mayA lead to any convenient driving-pulley on the machine. The pinion rl engages with a spur-wheelf on one end of the shaft of the lower feed-roll, theopposte end of which has a spur-wheel g gear-` ing into a like wheel g on the upper feed-roll, so that said rolls rotate at a uniform speed.

Attached to the shaft of the upper feed-roll, adjacent to the Wheel g', is a spur-wheel p, which gears with a spur-wheel p', attached to the end 0f the clearer-roll shaft.

On the shaft of the lower feed-roll is also a spur-pinion h, which gears into a spur-wheel v The wheels m n are not. intended so much as a means of positively driving the retainerroll as to prevent the rapid rotation of-the same under the iniuence of the fiber drawn forward by the feed-rolls and first taker of the machine, the sizes of the wheels h, z', fm,.

tainer-roll'located above the apron and hav' ing teeth, whereby as the iiber is fed between the retainer-roll and apron to the feed-rolls snarls or bunches will be caught and held by the teeth of the roll without preventing the passage of the clear fibers, all substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to-this specification in the presence of two sub-4 scribing Witnesses.

J. K.- PROCTOR.

vWitnesses:

JOHN T. Lnwis, HARRY SMITH. 

